Sebastian Sallow

Warning! At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in Hogwarts Legacy. Spoilers will be present within the article.

Sebastian Sallow (b. 1874/1875) was a Scottish Dark wizard and a Slytherin student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry during the late 19th century.^[1] Born to two professors who died when he was young, he and his sister, Anne, were raised by their uncle Solomon Sallow, an ex-Auror. When Anne was cursed by Victor Rookwood, she developed a seemingly incurable illness.^[4] He tried everything from Nurse Blainey to St Mungo's to no avail,^[3] and eventually became convinced that the Dark Arts was the last hope for her.^[5]

From an early age, he had a mastery of the Unforgivable Curses,^[7][8] and considered other curses such as Confringo to be among his favourites.^[9] His quest to unravel the secrets of Dark Magic, justified by finding his sister's cure, eventually culminated in the murder of his uncle,^[10] possibly resulting in Sebastian's expulsion from Hogwarts and trial at the Ministry of Magic.^[11][12]

Biography[]

Early life[]

Sebastian was born in 1874 or 1875 alongside a twin sister, Anne. They were raised by two professors who ingrained a thirst for knowledge into them, but also a sense of optimism and open-mindedness, which Sebastian would later hope to emulate.^[4] Their parents died when they were young after a lamp in their cellar poisoned them with an undetectable toxin.^[13] They were taken in by their uncle Solomon Sallow who lived in a home in Feldcroft.^[4]

First to fourth years (1886–1890)[]

On 1 September 1886, at the age of eleven, he and his sister started attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where they were both sorted into Slytherin house.^[14]

He became best friends with Ominis Gaunt, a fellow Slytherin in his year, and he, Ominis, and Anne would often go to the Undercroft, a secret area within Hogwarts Castle that Ominis knew about through his family, to play Gobstones and hang out. As Ominis himself was deeply uncomfortable with his family owing to his own childhood experiences, Sebastian entertained him at their home in Feldcroft, developing an even closer bond. The first time Sebastian and Ominis practised the Blasting Curse, they singed their eyebrows.^[9] As a student, Sebastian was known for wanting to expand his knowledge beyond Hogwarts' main curriculum.^[15] He was also incredibly daring, having snuck into the Restricted Section more than once in a violation of school rules, much to the annoyance of Agnes Scribner, the school librarian.^[16]

Sebastian's life changed before his fifth year at Hogwarts, when Anne was attacked and cursed during a raid on their house in Feldcroft, presumably by Ranrok's Loyalists, but actually by Victor Rookwood,^[17] resulting in her suffering from an illness. It left her in constant pain and unable to attend Hogwarts. Sebastian wanted to cure her, and after trying everything from Nurse Blainey to St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, came to confide in the Dark Arts as her last hope.^[4] After this incident, Sebastian developed a strong hatred for goblins, preferring them dead than alive.^[18]

Sebastian became one of the top duellists within the Crossed Wands duelling club organised by Lucan Brattleby, and was typically considered one of the most fearsome duellists in Hogwarts at the time.^[6][19]

Fifth year (1890–1891)[]

Befriending the new fifth-year[]

On the morning of 2 September 1890, Sebastian stood in the Slytherin common room reading through a spellbook, searching for a cure for Anne away from the general Hogwarts curriculum.^[15] Later that day, he attended his first Defence Against the Dark Arts class of the year. In Professor Dinah Hecat's absence, he was duelling with Leander Prewett in Classroom 3C when the skull of the professor's Hebridean Black skeleton was dislodged. Hecat levitated the skull back into place and reprimanded them before listing her accomplishments and teaching them the aforementioned levitation spell.^[6]

During the Defence Against the Dark Arts class, he became acquainted with a new student whom he had been assigned to duel. Impressed by their skill, he invited them to the unsanctioned Crossed Wands duelling club, which was headquartered in the Clock Tower.^[19] Later that day, Sebastian was a possible combatant during the Troll attack on Hogsmeade, had he been invited by the student to visit Hogsmeade. However, it was also possible that they could have invited Natsai Onai instead.^[20]

As the two developed a certain level of trust, Sebastian enlisted this student's help to enter the Restricted Section, where Sebastian hoped to glean more information on a cure for Anne. They were caught when Peeves reported them to the librarian, Agnes Scribner. The student continued to explore the Restricted Section while Sebastian went up to take the blame, with the student finding the Athenaeum, and by extension, the Map Chamber. When the student returned to the surface, they hid while Scribner confronted Sebastian, outraged that he had been sneaking into the Restricted Section again. Sebastian allowed himself to take the blame and did not reveal the student's presence. When the student expressed their gratitude, Sebastian told them that he expected something in return for his favour, in typical Slytherin fashion.^[16]

When the friendship between this student and Sebastian became more apparent, Sebastian introduced them to the Undercroft and taught them Confringo. Nobody except Anne and Ominis Gaunt knew about the Undercroft until this point, so this only cemented the level of trust between the two.^[9] Sebastian later brought this student to his house, where they had a confrontational meeting with Solomon Sallow, leaving Sebastian bitter and upset. After this, Sebastian showed the student the place that Anne had been cursed: a house up on a hill in Feldcroft. They fought off some goblins surrounding the house together, and found that inside it was an ancient magic passageway to the Undercroft. There, the student explained their ability to use and perceive ancient magic. When they re-entered the Undercroft, they found a triptych that contained hints of locations linked to the Keepers, with two of the panels missing. Sebastian went to investigate the are depicted in the remaining panel.^[3]

Infiltrating the Overlook[]

Sebastian found that the panel of the triptych linked to a place called the Overlook near an abandoned mine that was currently a headquarters of Ranrok's Loyalists. He invited the new student to see for themselves, and they started a mission to infiltrate the mine. They fought off various Loyalists and discovered an ancient room that had belonged to Isidora Morganach, with a journal entry that spoke of her mission to heal people. They also found a second part of the triptych.^[18]

The students returned to the Undercroft through an enchanted stone surface similar to the one in Isidora Morganach's house. There, Sebastian said that he recognised where the triptych linked, but that there would be more trouble in going there. As the student brought up their private dealings with Lodgok, a goblin, he lashed out at the student for trusting goblins – the same people who, as Sebastian assumed, had cursed his sister, Anne, several years ago.^[18]

Completing the triptych[]

The final part of the triptych depicted a mountain in Marunweem – another cavern appropriated by Ranrok's Loyalists. He invited the new student along, and they discussed how Sebastian was doing this to find a cure for Anne. Their conversation was brief and somewhat argumentative, as Sebastian was starting to become frustrated with not being able to find a cure for Anne. They ventured up the mountain, battling several Loyalists, before infiltrating Tower Tunnel.^[21]

After beating countless Thornback spiders and Matriarchs, the students were faced with a Mountain troll, which burst its way through the wall of the cavern. They defeated the troll and found another hide-out of Isidora Morganach, with a fragment of the triptych inside. They re-entered the Undercroft as before, and with the triptych complete, a Pensieve appeared, showing Morganach's memory of her meeting with the Keepers: Niamh Fitzgerald, Percival Rackham, Charles Rookwood, and San Bakar, at her house in Feldcroft.^[21]

Within the memory, she spoke to her father, saying that while she could not bring her brother back, she could give her father peace. In a later segment, she used her signature pain extraction spell on her father, ridding him of all negative emotion, much to his satisfaction – though, as Sebastian's friend knew already, was highly controversial to the Keepers, who believed it was irresponsible for magic to have been used in such a way. A third segment showed Morganach speaking with Bragbor the Boastful, a goblin, about the construction of a repository to house the extracted emotion, which had begun to accumulate in jars in her house. She claimed that she only needed to keep it safe until she could convince her colleagues of its worth.^[21]

When Sebastian and his friend returned to the physical world, Sebastian was inspired by the scene, desperately hoping for an ancient magic cure for Anne's illness. Sebastian attempted to persuade his friend to use their powers in the way Morganach did, or even to attempt to persuade the Keepers to allow such magic themselves.^[21]

In the end, however, his friend never did use their powers to cure Anne Sallow.^[22]

Other adventures[]

Slytherin's Scriptorium[]

Main article: Break-in of Slytherin's Scriptorium

When Sebastian heard about the existence of Slytherin's Scriptorium, he enlisted this student and Ominis Gaunt's help in discovering the chamber. Before accessing the chamber, however, the trio met a door that required the usage of the Cruciatus Curse to pass. Sebastian was willing to both cast or accept the curse if it meant discovering the secrets within, as he believed they could be used to help Anne. Ominis was reluctant throughout the entire journey, and once they were finished, he urged Sebastian to end his quest.^[7] Sebastian did not.^[8]

Sebastian discovered Slytherin's Spellbook inside the Scriptorium,^[7] a compendium written by Salazar Slytherin that gave insights into his student's assignments in a nearby cave.^[8]

Accessing the relic[]

Main article: Infiltration of the Feldcroft Catacomb

Sebastian asked his friend to join him in this cave, where they fought spiders and found this medieval student's notes hinting at the existence of a dark relic that could cure ailments. This made Sebastian even more determined to discover this relic, which he eventually did, though the pair realised they had been followed by Ominis, who urged Sebastian again to stop his meddling with the Dark Arts, but Sebastian continued.^[8]

Shortly after leaving, they found Feldcroft ravaged by Ranrok's Loyalists. Sebastian and his friend fought off various goblins before finding a wounded Anne Sallow in a field outside their home. Anne was about to be killed by a unidentified goblin, so Sebastian used the Imperius Curse to force the goblin to commit suicide. After this, Sebastian attempted to raise Anne up to the ground, but she refused his help. Solomon came over, evicted Sebastian from their household, and forbade him from coming near them again.^[8]

Skirmish in the Feldcroft Catacomb[]

Main article: Skirmish in the Feldcroft Catacomb

Near the end of the 1890–1891 school year, Sebastian entered the Feldcroft Catacomb to seize the relic. After acquiring it, he manipulated Inferi within the catacomb to serve him, an action which threatened the safety of the whole village. He was followed by his friend, who had to battle through the Inferi to reach him, and then either supported or condoned his behaviour. They were then discovered by Solomon Sallow, who summoned the relic before nonverbally destroying it. Sebastian attacked his uncle, leading to a duel between the three wizards, which eventually resulted in Solomon's death. Anne Sallow arrived at the catacomb, attacked her brother with the Banishing Charm, destroyed the remaining Inferi, and Apparated away with her uncle's corpse.^[10] Following Solomon's murder, Ominis Gaunt wanted to turn Sebastian in for his crime.^[11]

Ominis and Sebastian's friend possibly agreed to turn him in, leading to Sebastian's expulsion and trial at the Ministry of Magic. Likewise, there was a possibility that he was not turned in, and their knowledge of what transpired in the catacombs was kept secret.^[11][12]

Following the memorial ceremony for Eleazar Fig, Sebastian became aware that it had been Victor Rookwood, and not a goblin, that had cursed his sister.^[10]

Personality and traits[]

Sebastian was charismatic, unafraid of detention and breaking rules.^[1] He was undaunted and determined to pursue his goals, always unbothered by defeat. He was willing to use the Dark Arts to help his sister and justified it with her condition. He did not view magic as good or evil, but rather a tool to achieve his goals. He was optimistic, a trait his parents also had. He relied on their memory to stay open-minded and persistent, pursuing and using knowledge as a guide.^[23] His love for his sister and hatred for his uncle's insistence that she cannot be cured angered him so much that he eventually murdered the latter in a fit of rage and recklessness, something he showed deep remorse for later.^[10]

Magical abilities and skills[]

• Love: Despite his many faults, Sebastian had an enormous devotion to his twin sister, Anne Sallow, to the point that he would willingly sacrifice his own code of morality to attempt to save her.^[10][11] For two years, he gave his full attention to restoring Anne's health, refusing to accept his uncle's claims that she could not be saved.^[3]
• Duelling: The champion of the Crossed Wands duelling club and one of the most skilful duellists in Hogwarts, Sebastian was recognised by his fellow students as an accomplished and fearsome combatant.^[6][19] He was capable of personally duelling his uncle Solomon, an accomplished Auror^[10] as well as countless battle-hardened goblins.^[21]
• Charisma and manipulation: Sebastian was a highly charismatic and confident individual,^[1] which not only impressed his fellow students,^[6][19] but allowed him to sway and manipulate his closest friends as well.^[7] He was capable of convincing Ominis Gaunt to open Slytherin's Scriptorium, something that initially Ominis was heavily reluctant to do, by appealing to Ominis' desire to learn the truth about his missing aunt.^[7] When challenged on his use of the Dark Arts, he was able to successfully avoid a direct promise to both Ominis and his friend that whatever mission he was doing would be his last venture and then he would stop, before simply continuing to push the boundary further.^[7][8] Solomon Sallow was the only individual that Sebastian was unable to sway, which irritated him greatly.^[3]
• Charms: As a student at Hogwarts, Sebastian was taught a variety of charms. He also knew the Unlocking Charm, which he frequently used to enter the Restricted Section of the Hogwarts Library before Agnes Scribner added another layer of protection onto the lock.^[16]

• Dark Arts: Sebastian's earliest known awareness of the Dark Arts was when he was a child and learned that his uncle Solomon had cast an Unforgivable Curse during his time as an Auror.^[24] By the age of fifteen, he was capable of casting all three Unforgivable Curses himself,^{[7][8][10][25]} even though they required extraordinary willpower and a real desire to commit evil in order to cast.^[26] Sebastian's range of spells were notably offensive, favouring spells such as the Blasting Curse,^[9] and often jumping to the Unforgivable Curses by mere instinct.^[8][10] Even as a young wizard, he was addicted to dark spell books such as Slytherin's Spellbook,^[10] and enthralled by darker tomes such as Magick Moste Evile.^[16] Sebastian justified his interest in the Dark Arts by claiming it was to find a cure for his sister Anne; however, not only did Anne not wish to be cured in this way,^[10] but Sebastian also seemed to genuinely enjoy the Dark Arts regardless, finding it "incredible" that he was able to possess Inferi in the catacombs of Feldcroft.^[10][16]
• Apparition: Despite it not being on the Hogwarts curriculum until sixth year, he was capable of Apparition.^[10]

Possessions[]

• Wand: Sebastian owned a wand,^[27] which he likely acquired from Gerbold Ollivander at the age of eleven, like most other wizards.^[28]
• Owl: Sebastian owned an owl which he used to send post to his friends, most notably the close friend he acquired in his fifth year.^[9][21]
• Crest: Sebastian was given this crest by his sister Anne, which he kept with him ever since.^[29]
• Slytherin's Spellbook: After discovering this spellbook in Slytherin's Scriptorium, Sebastian confiscated it for himself. Through it, he learned much more about the Dark Arts, including the Unforgivable Curses. The spellbook was destroyed by Anne Sallow shortly after their uncle Solomon's murder.^[7][8]
• Relic: Sebastian pilfered this relic, which he thought was capable of saving Anne, from the Feldcroft Catacomb and used it to summon Inferi. It was destroyed by Solomon Sallow.^[10]

Relationships[]

Family[]

Parents[]

Sebastian deeply admired and respected his parents, seeking to emulate their optimism, open-mindedness, and eagerness for knowledge.^[4] He had been instructed by his parents to read every book he could from an early age – a lesson which followed him throughout his teenage years.^[7]

Solomon Sallow[]

Sebastian's relationship with his uncle and guardian, Solomon Sallow, was notoriously poor. Solomon constantly berated Sebastian's stubbornness and refusal to accept that Anne Sallow could not be saved, detesting his nephew's involvement with the Dark Arts.^[3] Meanwhile, Sebastian was unwilling to accept his uncle's reluctance to fully treat his sister, viewing him as "let[ting] her suffer".^[10] Solomon Sallow was the only individual who did not fall prey to Sebastian's natural charisma, correctly perceiving him as intelligent and dangerous. After dabbling with the Dark Arts, he evicted Sebastian from their home and forbade him from interacting with his sister, after which relations between the two fully eroded.^[8] In the end, Sebastian started a duel with his uncle after he destroyed the relic that could have saved Anne and despite Solomon's last attempts to make Sebastian see reason, Sebastian ended up murdering him in a rage.^[10] Despite all that happened between them, however, Sebastian still never wanted to kill Solomon and was genuinely remorseful for what happened.

Anne Sallow[]

Sebastian dedicated two years of his life to a pure attempt to heal his sister, Anne, though his efforts were arguably misguided, as Anne did not wish to be cured by the Dark Arts.^[10] Sebastian, however, was willing to go to any means to save her, viewing magic not as 'good and evil', but as a tool to meet his own ends.^[4] After Solomon's murder, Sebastian's relationship with Anne completely fractured: Anne was utterly devastated that he would murder his uncle, and Sebastian was remorseful that he had only increased her suffering. She left their home and left a letter for her brother, in which she said that she still loved him, but that it was unlikely that she would ever be able to forgive him. Although Sebastian was willing to keep his distance from Anne for now, he retained hope that one day he and his twin would be able to reconcile.^[10]

Ominis Gaunt[]

Ominis Gaunt was Sebastian's oldest friend from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and Sebastian found himself very quickly to be the only person that Ominis could trust. As Ominis had no good relations with his own family, Sebastian would invite Ominis to his home in Feldcroft, and they quickly formed a close, brotherly bond.^[9]

Sebastian considered Ominis to be his close friend, but this didn't stop him from manipulating and lying to him in order to further his own goals.^[7][8] In their fifth year at Hogwarts, Sebastian could convince Ominis to open Slytherin's Scriptorium, which Ominis was heavily uncomfortable with, so that Sebastian could acquire a cure for Anne.^[7] Additionally, Sebastian constantly promised not to venture deeper into the Dark Arts while only continuing to do so, and because of this, there were repeated conflicts between them.^[7][8] Ominis was strongly attached to Sebastian and continued to defend his actions, even if he did not fully approve of them.^[10]

The final straw for their relationship was the murder of Solomon Sallow. After that, Ominis was very disappointed in Sebastian and wanted to turn him in. However, he didn't want to lose his best friend and left the final decision to their mutual friend.^[11] He would agree with any of the decisions. Even after everything that happened, Ominis still cared a lot about Sebastian and would continue to be friends with him in any case.

New fifth-year student[]

This student became one of Sebastian's closest friends within their fifth year, as well as a companion to many of his engagements. They shared various secrets with one another, with Sebastian informing them on the existence of the Undercroft and his life story, and the student telling Sebastian about their intuitive ability to control ancient magic. The two went on various quests to understand the truth behind ancient magic and bring down Ranrok's goblin rebellion.^[27] It is possible that the student developed a distrust for Sebastian as he urged him to cease his meddling with the Dark Arts, or fully supported the necessity of his actions.^[30]

Behind the scenes[]

• Sebastian Sallow is voiced by Alfie Nugent in Hogwarts Legacy.^[31]
• If the player chooses Slytherin house, they will speak to Sebastian in the Slytherin common room on their first day. He will talk the player about their carriage getting attacked on the way to Hogwarts. The player can ask about a book Sebastian is reading, which he says is a spellbook which didn't have what he was looking for. It will lead Sebastian to tell the player there are spells Hogwarts won't teach.^[15]
  • He is also the only one of the three main companions that the player can introduce themselves to in their common room.
• Sebastian Sallow is Tom Felton's favourite Slytherin in Hogwarts Legacy.^[32]

Possible endings[]

After Solomon's murder, in the 'In the Shadow of Fate' side-quest, the player has the ability to decide whether to turn Sebastian in, as Ominis Gaunt wishes, or not.

• If they do not, or if the player completed 'The Final Repository' prior to this quest, then after Victor Rookwood and Ranrok are defeated, he will be present in the Great Hall when the player informs him it had been Rookwood who cursed Anne, not a goblin as he originally believed. Sebastian will begin to show remorse at his behaviour and hatred of goblins.
• If they do, then Sebastian will be expelled and face trial at the Ministry of Magic. He will not appear in the game again.

Appearances[]

The Harry Potter Wiki has 27 images related to Sebastian Sallow.

• Hogwarts Legacy (First appearance)
• The Art and Making of Hogwarts Legacy (Mentioned only)

External links[]

• Sebastian Sallow at the Hogwarts Legacy Wiki

Notes and references[]

Crossed Wands
Founder
Lucan Brattleby
Members
Astoria Crickett · Constance Dagworth · Lawrence Davies · Hector Jenkins · Eric Northcott · Nellie Oggspire · Natsai Onai · Nerida Roberts · Sebastian Sallow · Hector Weasley · Unidentified 19th-century Hogwarts student